Dark Web, Deep Web and TOR the secrets of the hidden Internet

Dark Web and Deep Web are increasingly renowned terms even for non-experts. In fact, we no longer find them only in the IT sector but often also linked to news cases or scams.

What is the Dark Web?

The Dark Web is a portion of the Internet that is not indexed by traditional search engines and that requires specific software, such as Tor, to navigate.

This software creates an encrypted connection that hides the user's identity and location, making browsing anonymous.

The Dark Web is often associated with illegal activities, such as the sale of drugs, weapons, confidential information, or stolen goods. However, even political organizations or journalists working in countries with restrictions on freedom of expression can use the Dark Web to communicate securely, browsing via the Dark Web allows users to bypass any "state" filters or limitations such as those that may come implemented in nations with governments that are not exactly "democratic".

The advantage given by the lack of control is "compensated" in negative terms by the greater risks during navigation. Users who browse the dark web may in fact be exposed to scams, phishing or other risks.

What is the Deep Web?

The Deep Web is also a portion of the Internet that is not accessible through normal search engines. The Deep Web can be considered a bit like behind the scenes; in fact, in the same we find company databases, state and government commercial databases, private or controlled access websites and in general information that can only be reached by those who have a password or a precise address to point to.

Dark Web and Deep Web, what are the differences?

In summary, we can therefore consider that the first is part of the second.

The main difference between the two is that the Deep Web is a legal part, known and frequented by authorized users and professionals. We can consider it as a "behind the scenes" of the web. In fact, data and information flow through it which are often needed to make the standard Web work correctly.

The Dark Web, however, is illegal and requires specific software to be visited and navigated. If we can access the Deep Web from a traditional browser, if we have authorizations and passwords, the situation is different for the Dark Web.

This "dark" part of the Internet can only be accessed voluntarily, aware of what we are doing and through a specific browser, created specifically for this purpose.

One of the most famous browsers for accessing the Dark Web is TOR.

TOR

TOR (The Onion Router) is open-source software that provides an anonymous and secure data transmission network. The TOR browser creates a random route between different nodes on the Internet to hide the user's identity and location and protect their privacy.

Created by a team of researchers from the Naval Research Laboratory of the United States of America and subsequently developed by The TOR Project, a non-profit non-profit organization that aims to provide privacy and security to Internet surfers, TOR is just a gateway to entrance to the Dark Web, not the cause of “all the evils” that it may contain or point to.

TOR can in fact also be used to browse anonymously on the World Wide Web, without leaving a trace and hiding your IP and country of origin.

As a result, TOR is used every day by activists, journalists, and “standard” users who want to bypass government, corporate, and geographic filters to do their research and communicate securely.

TOR is obviously not the only solution for entering the Dark Web. There are other browsers that allow this type of navigation, in particular: I2P (Invisible Internet Project), Freenet, Subgraph OS, Tails and Whonix.

Browsing the hidden web

Browsing the Dark Web involves some risks, such as entering harmful or dangerous websites, being threatened with phishing or scams, or the possibility of being monitored by the competent authorities.

For example, websites on the Dark Web may contain malware or malicious software that could compromise the security of your device.

Additionally, the Dark Web is often associated with illegal activities, such as the sale of drugs, weapons, confidential information, or stolen goods. Browsing these sites may expose you to dangerous situations or illegal actions.

So browsing the Dark Web is something to do consciously, without the lightness that we could afford when we surf the "standard" web with a traditional browser such as Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge.

Even with the latter we could come across dangerous pages, but the risk is obviously considerably lower.

Browsing the Dark Web

Given that we do not recommend this type of action to non-expert and aware users, there are some precautions that could help us navigate the Dark Web more safely.

Despite our indications, it is important to be aware of the risks you face, both in terms of IT security and from a legal point of view.

To safely browse the Dark Web, you need to follow at least these guidelines:

In general, it is important to be aware of the risks associated with browsing the Dark Web and only frequent it if absolutely necessary.

There is no joke with the Dark Web, what we could encounter is far greater and worse than the advantages we could obtain by browsing it.

Also because in most cases, for the needs of the average user (masking one's IP, changing geographical location) a simple VPN software or service is more than sufficient.